Social order campaign underway? Political crackdown? Criminal crackdown?

Provincial Police Region 4 chief Anuchai Lekbamrung, who was in charge of the police investigation into the 2010 deadly crackdown on the red-shirt demonstrators, was replaced by Pol Lt Gen Detnarong Suthichanbancha, commissioner of Police’s Office of Budget and Finance.

Pol Lt Gen Detnarong is known to also have a close connection with Mr Suthep.

More than 3,000 people were rounded up and a large number of heavy weapons seized under a coordinated crackdown by police, military officials and civilian volunteers in provinces that come under the jurisdiction of Provincial Police Region 4. The raid began last Wednesday and wrapped up on Sunday.

Pol Lt-General Detnarong Suthichanbancha of Provincial Police Region 4 said the 279 teams led intelligence and sting operations before laying siege to 500 areas and 2,700 illegal entertainment venues. Some 3,413 suspects were rounded up and slapped with charges ranging from gambling, drug trafficking, prostitution and the illegal possession of arms.

Of those arrested, 382 were charged with illegally possessing arms and 407 guns, 1,028 bullets and seven grenades were seized from them.

BP: That is a lot of people…. Region 4 refers to Khon Kaen so right in the heart of Thaksin country. This leads a reader to ask:

BP: Indeed…. We did get a social order campaign under the military-installed Surayud government in 2007 although until we get similar crackdowns in say Surat Thani, it seems very targeted on one part of the country….